Seekers recognizes that any member of the community may be called upon by God to give us the Word, and thus we have an open pulpit with a different preacher each week. Sermons preached at Seekers, as well as sermons preached by Seekers at other churches or events, are posted here, beginning with the most recent.
Click here for an archive of our sermons.
Feel free to use what is helpful from these sermons. We only ask that when substantial portions are abstracted or used in a written work, please credit Seekers Church and the author, and cite the URL.
A Service in the Style of Taizé – 11 November 2012
Twenty-fourth Sunday After Pentecost Several times each year, Seekers Church takes time out from its regular preaching schedule for a service of chant, prayer and reflection modeled on the worship of the Taizé Community in France. This Sunday was one such time. Repeating the chants together until they die away into the silence provides rest for our world-weary spirits as well as an opportunity for individual reflection on our faith journeys. As we joined in spirit with the monks at Taizé, we were nourished by their faithfulness as well as by their music.
“For All the Saints….” by Marjory Zoet Bankson
4 November 2012
Twenty-third Sunday After Pentecost
Gospel Reading: John 11:32-44 … (Jesus) cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
…………………………………………
This week, we celebrate All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1, and All Souls’ Day, which falls on November 2. The Feast of All Saints can be traced back to Pope Gregory III (circa 741), who dedicated an oratory in St. Peter’s for the relics of saints and martyrs. The Feast of All Souls developed during the Medieval period in connection with the dogmatic invention of purgatory. It was celebrated primarily in homes by lighting candles and leaving food for troubled souls or ancestral spirits who were, according to Catholic doctrine, awaiting entry into heaven.
“Called by God: Blind Bartemaeus Shows the Way” by Peter Bankson
28 October 2012
Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Last week, for the 36th time, we made our annual commitment to Seekers Church. We spoke our commitment aloud; we stood up and came forward to sign the book; and after our time here in worship, many of us stayed together for a while to reflect on the experience. I was deeply moved to be part of this body as we made this commitment to be on the Way together.
“Trusting God Together” by Deborah Sokolove
21 October 2012
Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
Today’s Hebrew Scripture reading comes near the end of the Book of Job. For nearly 37 chapters, Job has been in physical and spiritual anguish. He has lost his fortune, all of his children are dead, his wife is so wrapped up in her own grief and bitterness that she is unable to offer any comfort, and his friends keep telling him that he must have done something awful to deserve such punishment.
“Spiritual Responsibility” by Pat Conover
14 October 2012
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
The biblical passage I will work with today is our lectionary passage Mark 10:17-31. I will read it from the Scholar’s Translation. This is a recent original translation from the Greek, not a revision of the King James Bible like the Revised Standard Version or the New English Version. The translation is by a group of academic New Testament scholars not church scholars. Among other things, the group was interested in estimating which sayings of Jesus were likely from Jesus himself rather than from the gospel writers or editors. In doing this work they had the great advantage of access to the newly discovered Gospel of Thomas, parts of which are as early, or earlier, than the gospels that made it into the Bible. Two of the sayings found in this passage are also in Thomas and that means they were preserved by two quite different early Christian groups. That means they were likely not added by the gospel writers or editors. Now for the text.